Method and apparatus for separating oil from a mixture of oil and a gaseous fluid

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to an oil filter for removing oil from a gaseous fluid in which the oil containing gaseous fluid is passed through two filter stages, the first of which is a medium packed petrophilic aerophobic hydrophobic material and the second stage is a densely packed filter media of the same material. The oil free gaseous fluid is removed from the top of the second stage while the oil is drained by gravity from the bottom of the second stage.

United States Patent [191 Rhodes 3,791,1@5 [451 Feb. 12,1974

3,352,778 11/1967 Brink, Jr. et 210/312 3,455,459 3,250,398 3,464,1863,527,027 3,631,654

[54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING @EL FRM A MIXTURE 0E; 7/1969Troy 55/485 oiL AND A eAsEoUs FLUHD 55/524 5/1966 Adiletta......,.....

9/1969 Hankison et al.... 9/1970 Knight et al.

[75] Inventor: Herbert M. Rhodes, New Orleans,

Riely et [73] Assignee: Oil Mop, Inc., New Orleans, La.

[22] Filed:

Primary Examiner-Bemard Nozick Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wilkinson,Mawhinney & Theibault July 27, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 166,459

ond stage is a densely packed filter media of the same References(jl-med material. The oil free gaseous fluid is removed from UNITEDSTATES PATENTS.

the top of the second stage while the oil is drained by gravity from thebottom of the second stage.

210/311 55/322 2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 1,362,125 Maple 1,896,833Bramsen et METHIUD AND APPARATUS lFOlR SEPARATIING OL FROM A MIXTURE i?OIL ANB) A GASEQUS FLUID The invention relates to a method and apparatusfor removing oil from a gaseous fluid such as air containing particlesof oil therein by passing the gaseous fluid through a multiple stagefilter of shreaded polypropylene in which the filter material is packedwith increasing density.

An object of the present invention is to collect by attraction oil in agaseous mixture and to cause it to adhere to the filter media whilepassing the gas. As the oil builds up on the filter mass theaccumulating droplets of oil under the influence of gravity will falland be collected and separated from the air or gaseous fluid.

With the foregoing andl other objects in view, the invention will bemore fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the view:

The drawing shows one form of a filter constructed in accordance withthe present invention with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

Referring now to the drawing, l@ designates an outer cylindrical vesselor container having closed ends ill and l2. Located concentricallywithin the vessel l@ is a second double open ended cylindrical sleevelike container 113. An oil-air mixture supply pipe M enters the top ofclosed end lll to communicate with the container 113. A filter media inthe form of shreaded fibrilated polypropylene isk medium packed in thefirst container i3 so that the flow of gas will be as indicated by thearrows, from the center radially outwardly and upwardly through a secondfilter media lb which is of shreaded fibrilated polypropylene which ismore densely packed. At each end of the second filter media llo arefilters of petrophilic sheeting i7', ld. An air out pipe 19 isupstanding from the top closed end l1. Extending beneath the bottom i2is an oil discharge line 20 having a valve 2l and sight glass 22therein.

The oil mixed with air, or other liquid lighter than oil mixed with oilunder pressure enters the cylindrical container 110 at the center topthrough pipe M where it first enters the concentrically mounted innercylinder 13, open each end, dropping its velocity for even distributionto a coalescing medium l5, namely a petrophilic aerophobic material suchas fibrilated polypropylene or similar material which has been so packedto allow easy passage of the air and sufficient surface area toeffectively receive the very small particles of oil and conglomeratethem into droplets of oil whereby gravity will convey the droplets tothe bottom l2 of the outer cylinder i@ where they accumulate as a liquidpassing through line 20, visible through sight glass 22 and for manualor automatic discharge to the atmosphere by valve 21. In the event thatthe droplets are of a size and the velocity of the air is sufficient forre-entrainment they encounter the petrophilic sheeting 17 which is sofurled as to present maximum surfqce area and mini mum resistance to thepassage of air which may consist of a cottom sheeting which has beentreated with approximately one percentile or more of fluorocarbon orsimilar material to electrostatically repell the oil entrained in theair flow and in the event the separator is slugged with water entrainedin the air flow along with the oil a second stage of petrophilichydrophobic aerophobic material 16 which is mounted concentricallyaround the inner cylinder 13 and within the outer cylinder l0 will holdthe oil until the slug of water has passed through the separator andallow the oil to drain by gravity flow back to the same bottom of thefirst cylindrical container for discharge through valve 2l and again thefinal exit of the air passes through a petropholic material i similar tothe first but not as porous to the discharge chamber of the cylindricalcontainer discharging as oil free air through pipe 19 as substantiallyoil free air.

ll claim:

li. An oil separator for gaseous fiuid comprising means having a firstchamber containing fibrilated polypropylene medium packed in said firstchamber, means communicating with said first chamber through which thegaseous fluid containing oil is introduced and a discharge outlet at'the bottom of said first chamber, a second chamber means having anintake connected with the outlet of said first chamber defining aconnection means to receive the gaseous fluid from the discharge fromthe bottom of said first chamber and containing fibrilated polypropylenemore densely packed than the similar material in said first chamber,said second chamber having a discharge outlet, filter means of cottonsheeting treated with a fluorocarbon of the order of l percent toelectrostatically repel oil entrained in the gaseous fiuid, saidsheeting being positioned at the intake of said second chamber, meansfor drawing off substantially oil free gaseous fiuid from the dischargeoutlet of said second chamber, and means for collecting by gravity flowoil beneath said connection means beneath the intake of said secondchamber.

2. The method of separating oil from a gaseous fluid containing oiltherein comprising passing the fluid through a first filtering medium ofmedium packed fibrilated polypropylene, thereafter passing the thusfiltered gaseous fiuid to a second filtering medium of a densely packedfibrilated polypropylene, subjecting the gaseous fluid to a filteringmedium of a high porosity cotton sheeting treated with fluorocarbon toelectrostatically repel oil entrained in the gaseous fiuid between saidfirst and second filtering mediums, removing the thus filtered gaseousfluid exiting from said second filtering medium and cotton sheeting andcollecting the oil by gravity flow from said second filtering me-

2. The method of separating oil from a gaseous fluid containing oiltherein comprising passing the fluid through a first filtering medium ofmedium packed fibrilated polypropylene, thereafter passing the thusfiltered gaseous fluid to a second filtering medium of a densely packedfibrilated polypropylene, subjecting the gaseous fluid to a filteringmedium of a high porosity cotton sheeting treated with fluorocarbon toelectrostatically repel oil entrained in the gaseous fluid between saidfirst and second filtering mediums, removing the thus filtered gaseousfluid exiting from said second filtering medium and cotton sheeting andcollecting the oil by gravity flow from said second filtering medium.